Gene encoding is the way DNA stores instructions for building proteins in cells. These proteins act as molecular machines that carry out essential tasks throughout the body.
Gene encoding provides cells with what's essentially a recipe to follow for making the proteins they need to fight off disease, build structures, and power bodily functions. Four chemical bases — represented by the letters A, T, C, and G — form the basis for these genetic instructions in sets of three. These three-letter sequences, called codons, are copied onto messenger RNA strands and interpreted by the ribosomes that ultimately assemble specific proteins.